Wednesday, July 17, 2013

World Series Bound!...But not without your help


We are soooo excited to share with all of you that WE have been invited to participate in the 50/70 Little League World Series in Livermore!
 
The game will be August 3rd. Our Challenger League has been asked to bring a team of 13-15 players.  We are so excited to have been given this opportunity....BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP.  We need to raise about $3,000 to help cover the costs such as, uniforms, hats, trading pins, etc...We have tried to fundraise by holding a "dine-n-donate", but we only raised about $80, which just isn't enough.  Without a lot of time to get the word out, we thought this might be the best way to share our cause and let people get involved and support our team directly.
Our Challenger League players ALL have special needs, and most of the players have everyday expenses that come in the form of medication, walkers, leg braces, special equipment, therapies…etc, which is why WE want to raise the money for this event, instead of adding one more cost onto the overflowing plate of expenses facing these families every day.  WE WANT THIS EXPERIENCE to be FUN and EXCITING, and NOT a time of stress and worry.  This is quite possibly a ONCE IN A LIFETIME experience for some of these players.   Help us to make this dream come true. 
Please consider making a donation TODAY.   Simply click on the DONATE button above, or if you would rather donate cash or pay by a check, send us an email or message us on Facebook.  This is an exciting time and we feel so blessed to have so many people supporting our players!
BUT…don’t stop there, keep checking back in to learn a little more about our players.  We will be featuring stories about our players and coaches, in the upcoming days and want to share this journey with ALL of you. 
 
AND.....Check us out on ESPN during the game, it will be televised!
**Feel free to share this information with your friends and family too.  We pride ourselves in the fact that our league has grown, and continues to grow.  If you know someone who has special needs, send us a message.  Let us know your story and how baseball has impacted your life.  If you are in Vacaville or surrounding cities and want to know how to join a team, let us know that as well.

One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something" ~ Nolan Ryan

 


What is the Challenger League?


What is Challenger Baseball? 
Baseball for children with special needs! It’s AWESOME. It’s Energetic! It’s down-right super fun!  I restarted the Challenger League in Vacaville 3 years after it had been dissolved for 15 years. 
I have a child with Down syndrome who LOVES baseball just like his brothers. I wanted him to be able to participate in this sport in which he could learn and have fun in a positive, non-competitive environment.
The first year, we had 20 children sign up and we had an amazing season full of laughs and tears! Tears of joy as we watched one little person, with cerebral palsy hit the first live pitch.  Tears of joy and awe as we watched that same player walk the bases with his walker.  By the end of the season, he walked the bases unassisted! And tears of pride... as we watched these special children have the time of time of their lives with their Buddies!


You might be asking...what IS a buddy....well, Every game, we use Buddies from the other Little League teams.  These Buddies come out and are used as a role model to the Challengers. Talk about PoSiTiVe PeEr PrEsSuRe...Our challengers adore the buddies! Honestly, I think this league is better for the Buddies than it is for our special children. To this date, we have had over 1,000 buddies! The life lessons of patience and kindness are quickly learned in just one game. 
It truly is heartwarming to watch.  This league has been such a blessing to me as it continues to grow.  We went from 2 teams... to 7 teams in just 3 years! Others cities in our district have joined us and we have had even more fun traveling to games and playing other towns!  The lives that have been touched are too many to count! Every year, these children are getting better! Not only in the sport, but socially and emotionally.  It means so much to see children with Autism who didn’t make much eye contact the first year, come back and have full conversations with me this year. Watching my son hit a live pitch for the first time was priceless!  And watching



the moms sit back and watch their child participate in something
they love is the best part!  I love being a part of something so wonderful and so rewarding in so many ways!
Michelle Erickson


PS...Find us on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/VacavilleChallengerLittleLeague